These Are Andrew Carnegie's 10 Rules of Success

Andrew Carnegie arrived in the U.S. in 1848 with barely a dollar to his name. By 1901, he was the richest man in the world.

At the height of his power, he was approached by a young journalist named Napoleon Hill who was interested in telling the stories of successful people.

Carnegie saw a special drive in Hill and in 1908 decided that Hill would document all of the strategies that made him a legendary businessman and philanthropist.

Together, they helped pioneer the self-help genre, and Hill’s 1937 book Think and Grow Rich has gone on to become one of the top-selling books of all time.

When Hill began his career writing about success, Carnegie gave him his “10 Rules of Success” that provided a foundation for much of Hill’s work. Here’s a synopsis of the rules, which appear in Hill’s The Science of Success:

1. Define your purpose.

Create a plan of action and start working toward it immediately.

2. Create a “master-mind alliance.”

Contact and work with people “who have what you haven’t,” Hill says.

3. Go the extra mile.

“Doing more than you have to do is the only thing that justifies raises or promotions, and puts people under an obligation to you,” writes Hill.

4. Practice “applied faith.”

Believe in yourself and your purpose so fully that you act with complete confidence.

5. Have personal initiative.

Do what you have to without being told.

6. Indulge your imagination.

Dare to think beyond what’s already been done.

7. Exert enthusiasm.

A positive attitude sets you up for success and wins the respect of others.

8. Think accurately.

In Hill’s words, accurate thinking is “the ability to separate facts from fiction and to use those pertinent to your own concerns or problems.”

9. Concentrate your effort.

Don’t become distracted from the most important task you are currently facing.

10. Profit from adversity.

Remember that “there is an equivalent benefit for every setback,” Hill writes.

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